The next day, the Emperor issued an imperial decree bestowing marriage upon Zhao Moyan and Cui Zhenshu. The Cui family had no choice but to accept the decree. Fortunately, Cui Zhenshu had always admired Zhao Moyan, so the Cui family was still willing to accept the marriage and attached great importance to it, as she was their only legitimate daughter, and the traditional betrothal gifts and formalities were essential. Tian Yu became even more reluctant to go out. No matter how bustling the streets were, she remained locked in her farm like a turtle, refusing to go anywhere. Besides researching rice, she wrote books, practiced calligraphy, and worked with Li Xingyun to develop beauty and skincare products. However, no matter how much she isolated herself, she always heard news about Zhao Moyan. Green Willow was her biggest source of information; even after marrying Jifeng, she still stayed by her side every day, constantly reminding her of things.
"Madam, the Marquis has gone to the Cui residence to propose marriage."
A few days later, he rushed over again and said, "Madam, the Marquis and the others have already arranged a marriage."
After a long while, he rushed over and said, "Madam, you still have the mood to practice calligraphy? The Marquis and Miss Cui are engaged today!"
Tian Yu paused while writing, leaving a blot of ink on the Xuan paper. She picked up the paper and said, "What a pity! I wrote for so long." Then she crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash can.
"Madam, how can you still be in the mood to write a book? Today, the Marquis is getting engaged to Miss Cui," Green Willow said anxiously again.
“My lord, you’ve dragged this out long enough, from summer to autumn, and now winter is almost here. If you don’t get engaged soon, the Emperor will probably start pressuring you to marry,” Tian Yu said with a smile.
"Madam! Is this really how things are between you and the Marquis?" Green Willow asked, unwilling to give up.
"Green Willow! Don't ask Madam anymore, she's already annoyed enough," Qiu Ju said, glancing at Tian Yu as she ground ink.
“But if this continues, the Marquis might really marry Miss Cui.”
"It's great!" Tian Yu said with a smile.
Under repeated urging from the Cui family and the Emperor, Zhao Moyan finally got engaged to Cui Zhenshu, the daughter of the Cui family. Although he tried to delay, he couldn't escape it in the end. Because both families were prominent in the capital, even though Zhao Moyan wanted to keep a low profile, it still became the talk of the town. He also hoped that Tian Yu would know and come to stop him. He had been hoping for Tian Yu's arrival since morning, but as time passed, she never appeared. Finally, Zhao Moyan told himself that even if she appeared in the crowd, he would cancel the engagement no matter what. But when night fell, he still didn't see Tian Yu. Zhao Moyan was completely disappointed. Looking at the bright moon in the sky, his heart was completely cold. The steward, Uncle Zhou, told him to go back to his room to rest, but he just nodded and didn't move. He stood in the courtyard for a long time, staring at the sky in a daze.
It was late autumn, and the night sky was even brighter. The moonlight streaming through the window was even brighter than the candlelight. Tian Yu put down her brush, rubbed her aching wrists, opened the door, and walked into the courtyard. Looking up at the silvery moon, she felt an overwhelming bitterness and pain. Today, he got engaged. Was he alright? Since their unpleasant parting that day, they hadn't seen each other in this small capital city. Tian Yu thought that perhaps with time, they would forget each other, but she found that she hadn't let go; instead, she missed him even more. This must be what it felt like to love someone. She experienced it in this strange world and understood the princess's longing. She couldn't help but recall the poem "The Furthest Distance in the World" and said self-deprecatingly, "Indeed, the furthest distance in the world is to dig an insurmountable trench for the one you love with your own cold heart. Tian Yu, you're something else! You longed for love for so long, for a home for so long, and in the end, you destroyed it all yourself!"
Unable to fall asleep, Tian Yu sat on the steps of the thatched hut, gazing into the distance at night. For the first time, she felt a strong urge to cry, yet she couldn't. All that remained was self-mockery. She sat on the steps like this for the entire night.
When Qiuju found Tianyu in the morning, Tianyu was already curled up asleep in front of the porch. Qiuju called her a few times, but Tianyu didn't respond. She reached out and touched Tianyu's forehead and found that Tianyu had a fever. She helped Tianyu up, hugged her, and quickly called for help.
The courtyard wasn't big to begin with, and everyone got up when the shout came. Jifeng and Lvliu rushed over and carried Tianyu back into the house. Li Xingyun arrived shortly after, came to the bedside, and saw that Tianyu, who was already unconscious, had flushed cheeks. He touched her forehead, then reached out to check her pulse, and said to Lvliu, "Why is she so hot? Go get that bottle of wine to cool her down. What happened? How could she have caught such a severe cold?"
Green Willow ran to fetch the wine, and Autumn Chrysanthemum said nervously, "I don't know either. When I woke up this morning, I saw Madam sleeping in front of the door."
"I'll prescribe some medicine. There are a few ingredients in the 'Swift Wind' formula that I don't have here. Go to a pharmacy in the city and have one."
"good!"
"Qiuju and Lvliu followed the method the lady had used to reduce her fever, and used wine to bring down her fever first."
"yes!"
Li Xingyun wrote out a prescription, and Jifeng immediately rode off to the city. Xiao Wu was sent to brew the fever-reducing medicine, while Lvliu and Qiuju stayed in the room to take care of Tianyu. After wiping her down several times and giving her the medicine, Tianyu's fever subsided a little, but she still didn't wake up. Tears were still streaming from her eyes, and she kept muttering, "I want to go back! I want to go back!"
Jifeng rushed to the largest pharmacy in the capital, got his medicine, and hurriedly left when he encountered Prince Wu's carriage. Jifeng stepped forward to pay his respects, and Prince Wu lifted the curtain and asked, "Jifeng, what are you doing here so early in the morning? Has something happened?"
"Your Highness, Ms. Tian is ill. Physician Li has sent me to get some medicine."
"Tian Yu is sick? What's wrong?"
"I heard from Dr. Li that he caught a cold and has a high fever."
Prince Wu didn't ask any more questions and told Jifeng to hurry back. He thought for a moment in the carriage and said to the people outside, "Turn around and go back to the manor."
Tian Yu was ill for more than half a month. Although she woke up that afternoon, she was still drowsy, coughing, and her whole body ached. Prince Wu immediately brought her tonics to visit her, but Tian Yu was still unconscious and had no idea. Prince Wu sat by Tian Yu's bedside for a long time before leaving. Then came the princess, the two princes, the crown prince, Huang Xuan, Fang Jue, and the Tang siblings. When the emperor heard that Tian Yu was ill, he specially sent an academician from the Imperial Hospital to examine her, but Tian Yu declined, saying that with her brother there, she didn't need anyone else.
Perhaps because of the Emperor, soon after, officials and nobles from most of the capital sent people to visit Tian Yu, bringing all sorts of tonics and gifts. In no time, this small estate shook most of the capital. Tian Yu was unable to entertain them, so she simply closed her doors to visitors and refused all visits from strangers. Because of this, everyone believed that Tian Yu was very likely to enter the palace as a concubine.
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